


Beyond Time and Space

by Ellana17



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: (and therapy), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Infinity Gems, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Canon, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Time Gem (Marvel), Time Travel, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 06:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14491200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellana17/pseuds/Ellana17
Summary: Overwhelmed with guilt, Tony decides to use the Time Stone to go back in time and prevent the creation of Ultron. However, his plan backfires and Tony completely erases himself from the timeline instead.Steve is the only one that still remembers the man.





	Beyond Time and Space

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t even know anymore, guys…  
> It gets a bit timey wimey in there, hopefully it’ll still make sense.

Tony felt a cold shiver run down his spine at seeing the dim light reflecting off the metal teeth. For a moment, the man was reminded of one of his nightmares. It felt as though Tony had gone through the portal a second time. He remembered the cold and emptiness there; he could still feel it in his bones, even now.

Shaking off that feeling as best he could, Tony looked around the empty room, trying to locate Loki’s scepter. A sudden metallic clatter made him turn around sharply. He drew his hand up on instinct, only to realize, too late, that he was not wearing the suit anymore.

Tony stared at the shape coming out of the darkness. “How is this possible?” he whispered.

The man in front of him raised his hands and then, everything went black.

 

“President Hammer said he would not hesitate to use nuclear force if-”

Clint turned off the motel room TV with a sigh. “Looks like that guy really wants us to go to war,” he commented offhandedly.

Natasha looked up from the electroshock bracelet she was tying to repair for a second and raised one eyebrow. “Guess that’ll make our job even harder than it already is.” She hit the bracelet repeatedly until the power went back on. “There we go, much better.”

The door suddenly opened and both spies tensed up.

“How did it go?” Clint asked as Steve and Sam made their way back inside the room.

“As well as you can imagine,” Sam informed them distractingly, watching Steve closely. “We didn’t manage to get Rumlow, though.”

All three of them watched Steve make his way to the small bathroom and slam the door behind him.

“What’s up with him?” Clint asked.

Sam shrugged. “Don’t know. The guy’s been acting weird since yesterday and won’t tell me what’s wrong. It’s like, I don’t know, he was distracted or something.”

“He’s been through a lot, cut him some slack,” Natasha said calmly.

“Just like any of us,” Clint countered. “If the guy’s making mistakes-”

“There’s something else,” Sam added. He seemed hesitant.

“Yes, Sam, what is it?” Natasha asked.

“He’s been acting as if- Man, it’s going to sound crazy but I have the feeling he was waiting for someone.”

“Barnes?” Clint asked. “We all know Steve’s been looking for him ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell.”

Sam shook his head. “No, this was different. He kept looking at the sky as if someone would suddenly drop off and save the day.”

“Well, you fly,” Natasha pointed out.

“But my name’s not Tony,” Sam stated.

Clint and Natasha frowned. “Who’s Tony?” Clint asked, surprised.

“Damned if I know,” Sam answered. “But I could swear that’s what Steve said. We were talking on com, and then he just said ‘Tony’.”

“That’s- odd,” Natasha agreed.

Clint nodded. “Maybe he’s loosing it,” he provided unhelpfully. “No, hear me out, we’ve been fighting non-stop since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, going from crappy motel to crappy motel, watching our every moves, trying to take on HYDRA by ourselves. The guy’s tired.”

“I don’t-” Sam fell silent as Steve went back into the room.

The man was wearing a hat and a pair of glasses. His attire and the beard he had let grow over the past few months managed to conceal his identity.

“Going somewhere?” Natasha asked.

“California,” Steve answered curtly.

“Why?” Sam exclaimed.

“And how do you intend on going to California exactly?” Clint asked.

Steve grabbed his duffle bag.

“I’m taking the jet,” he stated before walking out of the room.

 

If he was being honest, Steve had been feeling odd for months without really knowing why. He could not pinpoint the moment it started though, and for a while the man thought it was just the natural consequence of S.H.I.E.L.D. falling. Everything he thought he knew had turned out to be a lie. That had been hard to swallow. Since then, Steve had jumped in head first into the fight against HYDRA to try to regain a sense of normalcy.

During his first mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. as Captain America – which they had called the Battle of New York – half the city had been leveled during the alien invasion. An alien invasion. The world had been getting stranger and stranger since Steve had enlisted in the army.

Steve had jointed S.H.I.E.L.D. in the hope of making a difference only to realize along the line that he had been in fact working for HYDRA all this time. It still made Steve sick just thinking about it.

The Avengers, or what was left of them, were not on the government’s good side. They had been blamed for the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., they had been blamed for New York, and it was only a matter of time before the government decided to do something drastic about it.

And HYDRA was still alive and kicking all over the world.

However, their current situation was not the source of Steve’s recent discomfort. He had been feeling a hole inside his life, a sort of emptiness within that he could simply not explain. He had been dreaming about blue beams of light and red flying suits of armor without understanding why.

Clint was probably right. He was definitely loosing it.

One morning, two days ago, Steve had woken up with the name ‘Tony’ on his lips. He had forgotten everything about the dream except that name, Tony Stark. Only thing was, he did not know any Tony Stark. That was a lead, though. And Steve was determined to follow that lead anywhere it took him.

Steve landed the cloaked stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. issued jet at the top of the Stark Industries building and made his way inside the building using the vents as quietly as possible.

Howard Stark, who Steve had known during the war, had left his company in the hands of his trusted business partner, Obadiah Stane after his death. Steve had been unable to find any information on Tony on the Internet and had resorted to paying a visit to the current CEO of the company.

Steve kicked the ventilation door open after checking that the corridor was empty and landed on his feet gracefully. He made his way to the wooden door at the end of the hall, looking around him, listening attentively for any sign of trouble. He tensed as he heard the elevator door open, followed by the sound of heels on the floor. There was nowhere to hide. He turned around and smiled, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. His breath caught when he saw the red-haired woman.

“Pepper,” he said and frowned at once. He was sure he had never seen the woman before.

The woman came to a stop. “Do I know you?” she asked.

“Pepper,” Steve said again, taking a step towards the woman. She immediately took a step back, clutching her bag. Steve raised his hands, silently begging her not to alert security. “I know this is going to sound crazy,” he said calmly. “But we do know each other.”

“You’re Captain America,” she stated. “I saw you on the news.”

Steve nodded. “I need to ask you some questions.”

As soon as he had seen her, Steve had understood that she was the one holding the answers to his questions, not Obadiah Stane. He could not explain it. Steve was sure he knew the woman somehow.

“You are Pepper Potts,” Steve said. “But it’s all wrong,” he realized suddenly. “You’re not an assistant anymore, you run the company!”

Pepper smiled in disbelief. “Me? No, you are mistaken. I am Mr. Stane’s secretary, nothing more.”

Steve shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Do you know where Tony Stark is?”

“Tony who?” she asked, frowning.

Steve felt his stomach drop. “No,” he said. “That can’t be right. You’ve been working with Tony for decades!” he added, raising his voice in panic.

“Sir-” Pepper said calmly. “I think you should leave.”

“No, no, no, that can’t be right. You’ve been working for Tony when he was CEO, not Obadiah Stane! It doesn’t make sense.” From the corner of his eyes, he saw Pepper reaching for her cellphone. “Pepper, listen to me, something’s not right here. You and Tony have a special relationship, you’re one of the rare persons he actually trusts. You’ve been his rock for years. He needs you. Something’s wrong and I need your help to find out what.”

Pepper raised her hand to her temple and sighed. “I don’t-”

“Virginia,” Obadiah Stane yelled from his office.

They heard the man make his way to the door.

Pepper glanced at Steve. “Don’t say anything,” she instructed.

“I’m off for lunch with Aldrich,” Stane said as he put on his jacket. “With some luck, that idiot will come up with a few more ideas before we launch the Expo.” Pepper nodded wordlessly. “And reschedule my appointment with President Hammer, will you,” he added before making his way to the elevator.

“Of course, Sir.”

As soon as the door of the elevator closed, Pepper turned to Steve. “I wish I could help you but I can’t, I’m sorry. Even if what you say is true, even if-” she said in a shaky voice.

“You remember him, don’t you?” Steve asked gently.

“I- It’s just that- when you started talking about him- Even if I remembered, what good would it do? I can’t help you. I’m just Mr. Stane’s secretary.”

Steve smiled for the first time in days. “You’ve already done more than I could hope for. Thank you,” he said before turning around.

“Steve,” Pepper called. “Bring him home.”

The smiling face of Pepper Potts faded away and Steve found himself face to face with a brown-haired man wearing what appeared to be a red cloak.

“There you are, Captain,” the strange man said.

“Who are you? Where am I?” he asked.

“Bleecker Street, New York.”

Steve frowned. “That’s impossible. Half the city’s been destroyed.”

“Not in my timeline,” the man answered calmly.

“Timeline? Who the hell are you?”

“Doctor Stephen Strange. I’ve been following your progress for weeks now. I think I can help you find what you are looking for.”

“You’ve been following me?” Steve exclaimed.

“From a distance. My point is, Captain, you need my help solving the mystery of Tony Stark.”

“You know him?” Steve asked, suspicious. “Do you know what happened to him?”

Doctor Strange closed his eyes briefly. “Yes, I know what happened, as I know that you, Captain, are the only person capable of stopping him from doing what he’s been so set on doing.”

“I don’t understand. Where is he now?”

“Technically, Tony Stark doesn’t exist in the current timeline.”

Steve gaped at the man. “I don’t understand.”

“The Tony Stark you’re starting to remember doesn’t exist in this timeline,” the man explained. “In the timeline where I’m from, Tony Stark used an ancient artifact called the Time Stone to go back in time to a certain point in his life in order to change the future. However, trying to alter the timeline is tricky and can unfortunately prove to be unpredictable. I came to the conclusion that Tony Stark erased himself from existence.”

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you try bringing him back? Aren’t you powerful enough to do it?”

Doctor Strange glared. “I am. However, I fear Tony won’t listen to me.”

“But we need him.”

“More than you realize, Captain. This world is not what it was supposed to be.”

Steve had not been thinking about the world. The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was bringing his friend back. The more he talked about him, the more Steve actually remembered.

“What can I do?” Steve asked.

“I managed to pinpoint the exact moment the timeline changed. I can send you there and hopefully you will be able to prevent Stark from using the stone.”

“What are we waiting for then?”

 

Sokovia. Steve was back at the HYDRA base in Sokovia. Why would Strange send him there? What could have compelled Tony to come back to this awful place?

Steve looked up and jumped in surprise at seeing the Chitauri monster that had attacked New York. He remembered now. Together, they had managed to save the city.

Steve made his way through the dark room, trying to find Tony. Finally, he saw a faint green glow in the darkness. He ran towards it and took the necklace from Tony’s hands.

“Rogers?” Tony asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

“Preventing you from doing something stupid,” Steve barked at him.

He grabbed Tony’s arm and led him away from Tony’s past self. Steve could make out Wanda getting closer and closer to the man. His first instinct was to protect his teammate but Strange had warned him about the danger of altering the timeline.

“Strange, I’ve got him,” Steve said, hoping that Strange would hear him before Wanda realized their presence in the room.

Once more, the world around him faded without any warning.

“Well, this is different,” he said, looking around.

The place Strange had sent them to was completely deserted and Steve had the nagging suspicious that they were not even on Earth anymore. Steve had never seen such a landscape anywhere on his planet before. Steve and Tony were standing on the shore near a lake. The water reflected the light from the sunset, turning the lake orange and gold. The place was so peaceful, Steve felt reluctant breaking the silence.

“How did you get here, Rogers?” Tony asked coldly. “How did we get here?”

“I was looking for you,” Steve explained, turning around to look at Tony. “Strange found me and sent me to another timeline.”

“Wait, did I hear correctly? Did _you_ really say timeline?”

“Stop joking around, Tony, you were about to make a big mistake.”

“Story of my life. I was about to do something right for once, Rogers. I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish here but you won’t change my mind. This is for the best.”

Steve stared at him in horror. “Did you- Did you do it on purpose?” he exclaimed. God, he was going to be sick.

“It’s for the best. We both know what happened in Sokovia was my fault,” Tony countered. “I created Ultron, I need to face the consequences of my actions.”

“Erasing you from existence is not the solution!” Steve roared.

“I wanted to stop myself from doing something awful. It was the perfect moment for that, no casualties, just, well, me, Myself and I, I guess.”

“You wanted to kill yourself,” Steve suddenly realized.

Tony shrugged. “To protect the future. I’m not sure if this is technically suicide or homicide, though, but who has time for technicalities these days,” Tony answered flippantly.

Steve’s head was spinning. That was so much worse than anything he had imagined. Tony wanted to- He had- Steve sat down unceremoniously on the ground before his legs gave out.

“Tony, you erased your entire existence from the timeline! It was as though you were never born!” Tony glanced at him, clearly surprised. “It was horrible. Half of New York had been destroyed! And nobody remembered you except me! I thought I was going crazy. And- god, Stane was in charge of your company and he never stopped manufacturing weapons,” Steve realized.

Tony remained silent. Then, he slowly sat down next to Steve.

“Hammer was President,” Steve added, remembering Tony’s well-known rival.

“Okay, that right there sounds terrifying,” Tony joked.

“It was,” Steve said quietly. “Tony, it really was. The team- We were adrift; we had nowhere to go back to and after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, we had no one to fix our gear. Natasha’s attempts were not successful, believe me,” Steve told him with a fond smile.

“So you need my money. I already knew that.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Steve exclaimed at once. "The world needs Iron Man, more than you can imagine. And more important, the team needs Tony Stark. I realize that now, we were completely off balance because you weren’t there anymore. You and I, we’re the backbone of the team. I can’t do this without you.”

“You’re better off without me, believe me,” Tony countered. “Look, Steve, the truth is I became Iron Man because it was the only way to make amends. Being out there, helping people, it is the only reason I’m still alive today. I had fucked up so much in my life already but this- I was good at it.” Steve nodded. “But I managed to fuck up Iron Man too, in the end. So tell me Steve, what good am I if I can’t even save people as Iron Man? It’s even worse than that, actually. I killed people.”

“Tony-”

“All these people in Sokovia, they died because of something I did. Because I was too arrogant. Because I thought I knew the right course of action. I created a monster,” Tony whispered, looking at his hands. “I am a monster.”

Steve took Tony’s hands in his own. “Tony, listen to me, you are _not_ a monster. You wouldn’t feel guilty if you were.” The man looked away but Steve would not have it. He gently rested his hand on Tony’s jaw and made him turn his head slowly.

“After everything that happened between us,” Tony croaked. “How can you bear to even look at me?”

“You’re my friend, I care about you.”

“Is this really enough?”

“I have to believe it is,” Steve answered truthfully.

Tony averted his gaze once more and this time, Steve let him. They watched the sun set for a while before Tony finally broke the silence.

“So what now? Do I go back with you? Pretend like nothing happened? Pretend I’m a hero?”

“You are a hero,” Steve stated.

Tony snorted in disbelief. “You’re delusional, Rogers.”

Steve did not rise to the bait. “Do you trust me?” he asked instead.

Tony stared at him. “Against my better judgment. Yes. More than anyone.”

“Then trust me on this. I won’t make you come back with me if you don’t want to. If that’s really what you want, I’ll even let you take the stone and do what you had planned to do but- Please, I’m begging you- don’t.”

“Why are you here, Rogers?”

“God, you don’t get it, do you?” Steve asked in disbelief. “We love you. I love you.”

Tony gaped at him before bursting out laughing. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you can’t really mean that, right?”

Steve frowned. “I do actually.”

“Why?” Tony exclaimed.

“You’re really asking me this now?”

“Why not?” Tony asked, glancing around. “We have all the time in the world after all.”

“That’s really not where I saw this conversation heading,” Steve pointed out truthfully.

“You and me both, buddy, but here we are.”

“I- God, Tony, how can you not see how amazing a person you are? I know we started off on the wrong foot and some of that was probably my fault. It took me a while to get past the whole Tony Stark persona but once I did, I found someone so caring, so set on fighting for what is right- I never apologized for the horrible things I said when we first met,” Steve realized. “I see now how wrong I was. Tony, you’re the best man I’ve ever known.”

“I-” Tony cleared his throat. “I can’t make any promises,” he said at last. “I’ll need a lot of time to get back on my feet. If that’s even possible.”

“Does this mean you’re coming back home with me then?” Steve asked gently.

Tony glanced at the necklace on the ground between them and nodded wordlessly. “Can we stay here a bit longer?” he finally asked.

“Of course, Tony. We can stay for as long as you want.”

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Last scene inspired by this https://starkmeansstrong.tumblr.com/image/173453645458


End file.
